On Trust & Pleasure
by FanPanda13
Summary: Sexy outtake from Another Word for Alchemy, following Chapter 21. Lemon warning. Zutara, of course.
1. Chapter 1 - Settle Down With Me

**Author's Notes:**

The following story is an outtake from Another Word for Alchemy (my fluffy romance story about Zuko and Katara that you should go read first). The following scene takes place at the end of Chapter 21.

Please note that this is a portrayal of first-time sex. It is not particularly dirty or graphic, but it _is_ a lemon and it is rated R for a reason. Clothing will be coming off.

Also, it's long. Something like 9000 words long if you include the preachy note that I'm going to add at the end. As a result, chapters were necessary. Yep. That's right. I wrote multiple chapters of first-time sex for Katara and Zuko. And it was fun. And no, I'm not going to let you read it all at once, because I want this story to last a little longer than Zuko would if Katara ever decided she wanted to bring bloodbending into the mix.

I recommend listening to Ed Sheeran's song Kiss Me while you read. I'm going to publish a new chapter every Sunday until I've published all 5 chapters. I hope you enjoy every "ahh" and "mmm" of it. Happy sexy Sunday.

**Disclaimer: ATLA is of course not mine. I'm just borrowing.**

**Zuko**

Dinner was long over, but Zuko didn't want the evening to stop. When Suki and Sokka stood up to say goodnight, he nearly commanded them to sit back down in the small, private dinning room on board Zuko's ship. Katara leaned against his shoulder and sighed. After what they'd been through the last few days, all either of them wanted was to be together.

Aang stood up soon after and said it had been a long day.

"No," Katara protested, but Aang just pulled Toph up from off the floor and gave him and Katara an amused look. Zuko impulsively wrapped his arms around Katara as the door shut behind their friends, leaving them to linger alone.

It was time to say goodnight, but Zuko couldn't do it. He wasn't ready to let her go tonight yet. "Maybe you could use a midnight tour," he murmured into Katara's ear. She shifted in his arms so she could look up at him.

"You already gave me a tour of the ship," she said. He detected slight disappointment in her voice.

"I was thinking you might like to see the Fire Lord's private quarters," he managed, trying not to get lost in her eyes when they brightened at the suggestion.

"I think I _would_ like that," she said, so low it was almost under her breath. He leaned down to kiss her, she twisted up to return the kiss, and it was soft, patient, slow and left him wanting much more. He definitely wasn't ready to say goodnight.

It seemed it had been a matter of motivation, then, that neither of them had wanted to get up and leave the dinning room. They walked silently and swiftly to the door that blocked his private suite from the rest of the ship. The door felt ominous and momentous at the same time. Zuko breathed shallowly as they approached.

Katara laughed, and there was a nervous quality to it. "Does the Fire Lord entertain a lot of women this way?" she asked. She was at his side, his hand resting lightly at her back as he reached for the door. He stopped abruptly, turning so he could see her face. She only gave away a hint of uncertainty. A hint was enough for him to pause.

"No," he said. The worst thing he could think of was for her to think she was anything like any other woman to him, when really she was everything that had worth in the whole world. "Not any women in a long long time."

The uncertainty cleared. She stood on her toes to kiss him sweetly. "Tell me again what you said earlier," she said.

"That I love you?" he asked, relaxing again as he took in her face. He brushed the back of his hand against her cheek.

She nodded and he felt the corners of his eyes crinkle. He took a deep breath and kissed her again, drawing out the contact. Whatever else he craved tonight, the thing he wanted most was just her there with him and no reason to fear that she was going anywhere anytime soon. "I love you," he said.

She held the fabric of his robes in her hands at his chest tightly, as if she were trying to hang onto the moment itself. He looked deep into her eyes. He would never get tired of looking into those blue depths. "Will you show me?" she whispered.

He answered by opening the door with a trembling hand and guiding her inside.

**Katara**

The tour of Zuko's suite was a slow dance. He lit candles and lanterns as they walked, but he never broke the physical contact between them. His hand was always on her waist, her arm, her shoulder, her back - something always. He looked at her like she could disappear from his sight any time.

"I'm not going anywhere, Zuko," she said, trying to reassure him.

"That's for damned sure," he said, his mouth coming down on hers hot and insistent. He backed her against a nearby wardrobe, and as her shoulders hit the tall piece of furniture she responded with a fervor of her own. A noise like want issued from her throat and made her giggle, because she had wanted this kind of passion from him before, but never this badly. She hadn't even known she _could_ want so much.

He smiled against her lips, and soon they were both laughing, the kiss broken but the experience somehow more whole. Then he slightly changed the position of his fingers resting lightly on her hips - he was only adjusting his grip - and it made her catch her breath. She swallowed at the realization that he could do so little and cause such a sensation, and their eyes barely met before their mouths did again. She thrilled at the violent rush in her veins as they leaned into each other, giving in together to an irresistible need to be close. So close.

He made noises too. Low guttural sounds that drove her crazy while she lost track of whose lips were kissing and whose lips were being kissed and was it her tongue prodding his or his swirling gently around hers? Her legs began to wobble while a quivering warmth spread through her from deep within, and she drew back, gasping. He found her hands with his.

"Come on," he said, guiding her eagerly back to another room with an arrangement of plush furniture. She looked around. Dark wood, gold trim, brown leather, red velvet. But…

"No Fire Nation flags," she commented. He looked puzzled at her.

"Private quarters," he said. "It's supposed to feel comfortable, not regal."

He was still holding her hand. She lifted his up to her mouth and kissed his knuckles. "I like it, Zuko," she said. "I like to think of just you sometimes, without the whole Fire Nation watching."

He grinned. "There's definitely no one watching tonight."

A mischievous smile fell on her face. "Good," she said. "Because the things we do tonight should stay between us."

He laughed, blushed, and ran his free hand through his hair. He was sexy even when he was being adorably uncertain, so she reached up and ran her hand through his hair too. It was loose, he wasn't wearing any of his normal armor, and she was glad for the casual attire. He looked at her with eyes that were open and trusting. It made her want to cuddle with him, but the warm need buzzing inside her made her want to do other things first.

They stood in the center of the room together, and she wasn't sure what else to do with the break. How soon could they get back to the kissing? Zuko seemed unsure as well. "I could get us both drinks," he offered, nodding at a liquor cabinet she hadn't noticed before, but not making any move toward it. "Do you want something?"

She shook her head. "Just us tonight, okay?" she said. No alcohol, but also no sun, no moon, no bending, no magic. Just them. Together not because of the chemistry of opposite elements attracting but because of the common experiences that wove a bond between them of trust and love. He held her hand tighter. She didn't think she had to explain.

"Okay," he said. "A glass of water then?" She nodded and slipped down onto a soft couch while she waited for him to pour glasses of water from a pitcher. Presently, he handed her a glass, sat down across from her and tipped his own glass to her before taking a drink. The ship was rocking gently, and the calm allowed her to hear the quiet shush of ocean waves and the low crack of candlelight flickering around them. She experienced a sense of normalcy at the insignificant act of drinking water with Zuko. She had thought the intimacy of the night would come later, but it was here instead, reminding her that what happened behind closed doors wasn't just pleasure. It was also comfort, security, stillness and shared vulnerability.

She leaned her arm against the back of the couch and her head against the back of her hand. Zuko reached out to stroke her forearm lightly before setting his hand to rest there. She feared that he was going to suggest the night should come to an end - they were obviously both tired - but his eyes glinted like they were sharing a fantastic secret instead.

"Do you remember the day after Sozin's comet?" he asked. It was an odd memory that came back to her.

"The healing sessions?" she asked, thinking of their younger selves. At first, she had thought those healing sessions would be just like the ones she had done for Aang. How startled she had been to realize that sitting alone with Zuko with her hands hovering over his still body could make her heart beat so fast and her own skin feel so warm.

He leaned forward conspiratorially. "I could barely handle those," he confessed. "I wanted to kiss you so much."

She grinned. "I thought the crush was one-sided. You never let on."

He smiled. "Didn't I?" he asked. "I always thought you were the one who wasn't interested."

"How did this ever happen?" she asked, waving her hand between them.

"Serendipity," he said, and then he added apologetically: "And our friends intervened on our stupid behalves."

She scrunched her nose up at the thought of their friends' involvement in their romance, then she stretched back, setting her glass down. "Washroom?" she asked. Zuko pointed her toward another door and she got up, but turned back.

"Zuko," she asked, "my rooms don't happen to be connected to yours, do they?"

"They're part of the private living space on the ship reserved for the Fire Lord and his immediate family," he admitted, looking imploringly at her as though he needed forgiveness for the act of keeping her close.

She tilted her head at him and put her hand on her hip. "So two weeks ago, when you first brought me onto this ship-"

"It could have been worse," he shrugged meekly. "I almost carried you straight to my own bed."

She pressed her lips together to keep a smile from forming and shook her head. "How long have you been in love with me, Zuko?" she asked.

Now he tilted his head at her and his smile was lop-sided. "Probably since you told me to go jump in a river."

The laughter bubbled up from deep inside her.


	2. Chapter 2 - I'll Be Your Safety

**Author's Notes:**

Everyone ready for some sexy Sunday fluff and stuff? Enjoy. Installment three next week.

**Disclaimer: ATLA is of course not mine. I'm just borrowing.**

**Zuko**

The thing is: Zuko wasn't just in love with Katara. He was crazily, unreasonably in love with her. With the girl who had gone from annoyance to opponent, from ally to friend. Tonight she was his lover, though that term only partially captured what she was to him now. When she returned from the washroom, he stood up to meet her again. His intention had been to show her into his bedroom, but this time she was the one who backed _him_ against something - the very door he had planned to open - and he happily leaned against that door, and she leaned against him, while she kissed him like they had all the time in the world and also no time left at all.

Her hands slid down his chest over his robes. His hands slid up from her waist to her rib cage. She put pressure on his bicep with a strong grip. He stroked her neck and threaded his fingers through her hair. They both breathed into another deep kiss that made her go "mm" and made him respond likewise. It didn't end for a long long time.

There was lust involved. The scent hung heavy between them while the heat continued to rise. Maybe it should all have been one passionate rush, but maybe they both knew where this was going and there would be - he hoped - other occasions for things to be faster and harder. This was an occasion for a slow, gentle burn. He wanted to kiss more than her mouth, so he tilted her head back and found the skin of her neck with his lips, caressing her while she closed her eyes and purred, giving him incentive to push back the clothing covering her shoulder. She ran her fingers through his hair. There was need coming up between them. She tilted her hips slightly into his. They both closed their eyes and breathed heavily at the intensely sexual contact. Then he found her lips again, but the kissing was interrupted more frequently after that. They had to pause for her to say "oh" when his body pressed up against hers, and also for him to gasp when she pressed back.

She untied the belt of his robes. He undid hers. Their robes hung loose on their shoulders. The soft skin of her stomach was exposed and he took pleasure in the right she gave him to feel that skin and warm her belly with just the touch of his hands. He was bold with her, as she was with him, her hands moving over the bare skin of his chest with a soft pressure that seemed to feel good for both of them. They explored with their hands while they kissed, tugging on each other's lips with their teeth, lapping at the inside of each other's mouths, paying attention to neglected corners. He traveled from her mouth to her neck to her shoulders to her collarbone. She explored similarly, and his whole body tightened when she sucked softly at his neck while her hands glided low on his stomach and her fingers found the skin just under his waistband.

The moment did become fast and hard then: he was spinning her against the door, pushing her up until she was barely standing on her toes, and grinding madly and breathlessly against her before he could calm himself. He stopped only when he heard a short, low whimper.

"I'm sorry," he gasped, letting her down while he caught his breath. "I should have…I shouldn't have…are you okay?"

She looked wildly at him, her hands clasped around the back of his neck, keeping him close. "What are you sorry for?" she asked, and her voice was breathy too. He watched her eyes carefully. "Zuko," she said, "I _want_ this. I want all of this. I want all of _you_. I don't want to wait for anything anymore. But if you don't - if you still want to wait to have sex-"

"I don't want to wait," he said affirmatively. "I want all of it too. I want all of you."

"Then can we go back to the part where you hold me up against the door?" she asked. "Because that was so hot."

He laughed and she did too, but he was glad they'd stopped for that. If they hadn't, he might not have been brave enough to catch her thigh as her foot slid up along his calf and he pushed her back up against the door. Then their bodies wouldn't have been so perfectly aligned, and that would have made it harder for her to roll her hips against him while she tilted her head back and shut her eyes. He moaned in delicious agony as she did it. There was nothing more erotic, he realized, than a woman who truly wanted you.

**Katara**

Her back was against the door, one of his hands was high on her thigh, his other arm was resting above her head, and her hands were free to roam his entire torso while he stole her breath and her essence and her lips bled into him. They would both be swollen and sore the next day from this, but she really didn't care, and if her head was light from lack of air, then she needed what she was getting from him more than air.

He was moaning and panting, and she could feel him pressed hard against her through their clothes. Some part of her wondered if she should be more giving or less needy or something like that, but the rest of her was lost in reaction to him and it was all she could do to rock back and forth with him, rubbing herself against him until a first orgasmic wave passed through and she slammed her entire body into his, throwing her head back. She found his hand behind her head, protecting her from hitting the door itself.

She opened her eyes. He looked at her like he wanted her _now_. "God, Katara," he said, his gaze dark and driven. She opened her mouth to say…something…but his mouth was back on hers again, and what she had just experienced had only been temporary relief. Her whole body trembled in response to the way he tried to devour her. He swept her into his arms entirely, pushed open the door they'd been leaning against, and she promptly found herself on his bed, which was too big for one person on any ship, though he didn't join her until he'd unceremoniously discarded his upper robes, tossing them to the floor before he climbed up next to her. She leaned back into his pillows on her elbows, her own robes falling back.

He knelt on his heels, gazing over her like he was drunk from the sight. She sat up, arching her back toward him just slightly to do it, and he surrendered to her, leaning forward to catch her in his arms. Every touch of his lips to her skin after that made her feel like he was pleading with her, though she wasn't sure why he needed to plead. Every "ahh" and "mmm" that came from her throat was freely given.

She slipped out of her leggings herself, requiring him to sit back while she did it, and now the loose robes falling from her shoulders were only covering underclothes. He blinked at her, she blushed, and he smiled wistfully before carefully lifting one of her calves so he could kiss it. Those gentle kisses, which made her feel cherished instead of electrified, slowed everything down.

"Zuko," she said quietly. She wasn't sure he would afford her the opportunity to show him the worship he was showing her. "I fell in love with you the day of the comet. The lightning-"

He caught her eye, then crawled up to her and lay down by her side so they faced each other. She could see the scar from the lightning on his chest, and she traced the faded evidence with her fingers. It still made her want to cry. He shifted closer, sliding one arm under her head and wrapping the other around her back. She nestled her face into his chest and felt his lips kiss the crown of her head. "It's just a scar, Katara," he said.

She closed her eyes and savored the warm safety of cuddling close to Zuko. "I love you," she said into his chest, "and I can't stand the memory of you getting hurt."

He didn't answer - just held her and stroked her hair - and the silence gave her time to notice that Zuko's bed was feather soft and the sheets were red silk, but she wished she could tell what he was thinking. "I'm sorry, Zuko," she said. "This isn't very sexy, is it?"

Zuko laughed quietly. "I have an extremely pretty girl in my bed-" he slid his index finger under the lower edge of the bindings at her side "-I have her stripped down to her underclothes-" he found the edge and started to loosen the bindings "-I'm so in love with her it hurts-" he rolled her onto her back and hovered over her "-and she thinks it isn't sexy that she loves me too?" He leaned down to kiss her again, allowing his body to rest over hers briefly. The hard, muscular edges made her feel heady and warm. He lifted himself up again and settled on his side next to her, tracing an invisible line from behind her ear to her collarbone with his fingers. "Honestly, Katara, it doesn't get much sexier than this."

She smiled. He was misinformed. "You don't think it gets sexier than this?" she asked. She sat up and encouraged him with her body to roll onto his back. She climbed over him, and he blinked rapidly in surprise as she positioned herself so she was straddling his body between her knees. She could see his pupils dilate. She arched an eyebrow at him. "I bet it does, Zuko."


	3. Chapter 3 - Your Heart Against My Chest

**Author's Notes:**

I know it's totally ridiculous that I am capable of imagining five parts to this one sex scene, especially when there's nothing particularly exotic about it. But I'm just totally totally in love with these two being in love with each other, and it's been so pleasant to drag it all out. Hope you enjoy reading installment three below. Installment four next Sunday. :)

**Disclaimer: ATLA is of course not mine. I'm just borrowing.**

**Zuko**

She was right. The bindings around her chest were loose, and the way the fabric strips were falling, exposing her breasts as she sat over him and untied her hair - slowly shaking it out while that blue robe hung off her shoulders like it was teasing him - was by far the sexiest thing he'd ever seen. Her silhouette danced in the shadows behind them. He rested his hands naturally at her hips. She smiled seductively and leaned over him, letting the robe fall down her back and off her arms while she put her hands on his chest. Her hands traveled and her lips followed, making him take shallow breaths as she found her way down from the center of his chest to his navel. He let out an audible hiss when she pressed her thumbs along his hip bones.

"Katara," he said shakily. "Maybe this is a good time to talk about our relative levels of sexual experience."

She sat up fast and raised an eyebrow at him. "You want to point out that you've been with other women before?"

"I want you to tell me there isn't anyone else who's ever seen you like this. Because if there is, I have someone to kill."

She narrowed her eyes. "That's the most sexist thing you've ever said to me," she said. He cringed, but she laughed, rolled her eyes, and started tracing the outline of the muscles she sat above with the tips of her fingers again. "Luckily, I'm going to give you a pass this one time."

"You are?" he asked, relishing the feel of her hands on him.

"Yes," she said, continuing her exploration. "Because right now you are doing fanservice for me with these abs."

He smirked. "Really?" he said, unable to hide his appreciation of the flattery. "Do you want me to flex?"

She looked at him like she was thinking of saying 'yes' and he started shaking with laughter. "Sweetness, between the two of us, I think you're the one doing the fanservice right now."

"Sweetness?" She giggled. "That doesn't seem like the kind of thing you would say, Zuko."

"What, because the Fire Lord can't use cute nicknames? Sweetheart? Honey? Baby?" He tried out various forms of endearment. She giggled harder. "Cutie? Sugar? Turtle duck?"

"Not turtle duck," she laughed, her giggles becoming uncontrollable. She leaned down until they were chest to chest and clutched her stomach to quell the laughter. He took the opportunity to work on those bindings.

"Fanservice indeed, Kitten," he said, admiring the curve of her back over her shoulder. She smiled into his neck and let him remove the bindings around her chest entirely. Then she rolled off him and he turned with her, so they were on their sides facing each other again and he could reach the back of her neck with his hand, which he did, moving her close again to kiss her. He wanted her - wanted her badly - and it was both thrilling and terrifying that she kissed like she wanted him too and angled her body into his.

He growled at the intense need rushing through him and began caressing her breasts, moving slowly from pressure applied primarily with his thumbs to kneading with his whole hand. He kissed from the hollow place in her neck down along the rising curves of her chest. Her soft flesh gave in as he pressed with his lips until he reached the dark brown skin of her nipples, which puckered and became hard as he sucked and prodded. It felt like the temperature in the room went up ten degrees when she let her head fall back and started moaning again.

**Katara**

He had his hands at the bindings that wrapped around her hips, and fabric was unraveling there before she even realized it was happening. She was otherwise occupied with the demands of his mouth. There had been heavy petting that had gone on before, mostly through loosened layers of clothing, and this wasn't the first time he'd had access to her bare breasts. But this time his ministrations came with the promise of more, and the sensations he was creating were driving her crazy with want. Maybe with someone else she wouldn't have liked the power he had over her body right now, but he was as lost to her as she was to him, meeting her reactions with his own in equal force. When she slid her hand under his pants to reach for the hard part of him that she had been feeling from outside his clothes anyway, he said "Katara" softly and thrust hard into her hand. Then he groaned into her shoulder while she touched, wrapping her hand around his shaft and letting her fingers discover the contours of his tip, which was soon filmed by a silky sheen.

She quickly learned that the penalty for exploring too long, too intensely was for him to renew his own inquiries of her with a vigor that would leave her too breathless to reciprocate. He was learning well, testing for what he could do to make her whimper and whisper things like "there", "yes" and please". He lifted her up to him with his fingers splayed out across the back of her rib cage, kissing between her breasts and leaning her back into his arm while his tongue swirled around her navel. His mouth dipped toward her hips and his hand found its way there too, and he finished off the last layer of clothing she had on without a word of protest ever escaping her lips.

When he was done, she lay casually and completely nude on his bed, and for the moment there was no touch involved. Instead, he leaned next to her on one arm. His eyes met hers. She smiled. He smiled cheekily back, and he let his eyes travel slowly all the way down to her toes and back up again.

"You're enjoying this," she said, basking in his gaze, which felt warm on her skin.

"Yes," he said. "You really are too pretty for me."

She sat up and frowned. "You don't mean that, right?" she asked, because his face had a contemplative look that she didn't want to see right then.

"I always thought it would be a dumb idea to try to be with you like this," he said. "I don't know why someone as amazing as you would want someone as flawed as me."

She curled her knees up to her chest and took his free hand. "Zuko," she said gently. "You can't do that if you want this to be real. You can think I'm beautiful, but you have to know I feel the same way about you."

"You think I'm beautiful?" he joked, but she stroked the skin on his face with her hand, making sure to give attention to both sides.

"Yeah," she said tenderly. "I do. This is all mutual. I'm not giving myself to you as a reward or something. I'm giving myself to you because you're giving yourself to me."

He looked at her with eyes that held something pure and perfect. "Thanks Katara," he said.

She laughed. "Of course, this isn't entirely mutual right now. Since I'm lying here naked in your bed and you still have pants on." She raised her eyebrows at him. "Want to fix that, Zuko?"

He smirked and stepped off the bed to remove the last layers of clothing he was wearing. He looked like he was going to climb back onto the bed after, but she met his eyes, giving him the cheeky smile he'd given her. "Hold still," she commanded, then she let her eyes travel slowly all the way down to his toes and back up again. He actually looked nervous.

"Zuko," she said, reaching out to take his hand and pull him back toward her. "You don't have anything to worry about."

"Should I feel objectified right now?" he laughed, getting back onto the bed.

She licked her lips and stretched out, raising her arms above her head. "I hope not," she said, smiling sexily at him. "I hope you want me to think you look incredibly hot."

He grinned. "I do," he said. "And I hope you're purposely stretching like that because you want to look like a sex kitten." He was over her body again, his hands on her sides while he leaned down to suck on her nipples. This time it felt like there were no holds barred and she wasn't at all sorry for the way her hands roamed gratuitously from his very muscular back down to his very nicely sculpted ass, because, after all, his hands were _quite_ free about sliding down _her_ bottom and over her bare hips and around her thighs. The shiver that ran up her body when he lightly stroked the soft, dark curls between her legs was enough to make him laugh low. She closed her eyes as he began to part the folds of skin there, and a shock of pleasure shot through her when his fingers grazed the hard bundle of pleasure that she sometimes touched herself.

She heard herself moan out and her eyes opened suddenly. He was watching her intently, his face flushed. "Can I-" he started to ask.

"Yes," she said, and it came out as more of a please than an answer. He responded by breathing out hard and sliding his fingers deeper. The very quiet "uh" that came from him as he discovered the wet moisture that had been building up made something deep inside her catch. Then he caught her eye and it was nice to know that he wasn't SO experienced in bed so as not to widen his eyes wondrously at this. To the contrary, she noticed looking down his body that he was even harder now than he had been a few minutes ago. The thought that her enjoyment of their sexual activities was having an effect on him made more waves of pleasure flow inside her. She fought to control herself as his fingers slid up and down, but when he circled that nub of sensation again, her hips strained.

This, she decided, would be a good time to stop bothering so hard to control anything.


	4. Chapter 4 - Kiss Like You Wanna Be Loved

**Author's Notes:**

Blushes. I'm feeling so naughty about this. Not enough not to post it. But still. Naughty. Perhaps to atone, I'll post the fifth part tonight as well. Perhaps not. We'll see.

**Disclaimer: ATLA is of course not mine. I'm just borrowing.**

**Zuko**

Zuko had been more or less in a state of arousal since they'd left the dinning room. Watching Katara's body react to his touch turned him on so much he felt like he was burning up inside. He began to touch himself, but that made it worse - made him want her _right now_ - so he stopped and hoped he wouldn't completely lose it before he should. At this point, that was a real risk.

His fingers slid along her warm, wet skin and her hips angled up into his hand. He worked up the nerve to delve inside. He did it slowly, afraid the whole time he would do something wrong. She opened her eyes and watched. "Do you want me to show you what I like?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said, a little surprised and very pleased. "Show me anything you want."

Her own hand glided toward the smooth dimple he'd been playing with and she began to circle slowly, maneuvering back and forth with her fingers. He paid close attention. She jerked up when he began rotating his finger around inside her, testing the walls of her body lightly. "Up," she breathed. "Further in and up, with two fingers." He capitulated. She jerked harder into his palm. "Keep doing that," she gasped. "That feels good."

He licked his lips and continued. She rubbed herself faster and bucked her hips harder. He wanted to see her to spill over - to see her give in to her own pleasure entirely in front of him. "That's right, love," he encouraged in a whisper, not sure yet how much she would want to hear the sound of his voice while they were doing these things. She opened her eyes, ardor painted on her face, and she seemed to like that he was talking to her, so he worked up the courage to go on. He said her name and told her softly that he wanted her to. She moaned and looked sideways at him. He was hard and pulsing as he watched her. She reached for him but he stopped her, clasping her hand with his own.

"No," he said quickly, and she looked at him with a question that made him instantly regret his choice of words. "You'll make me-" he tried to admit. "I want to-"

"Oh," she said, blinking. "You want to-?"

He nodded, and her eyes slitted closed. "Good," she said, her voice husky as she thrust up again, his fingers deep inside. He was insane with want watching her. He matched his strokes to her own movements as they became faster and erratic and her face flushed with excitement. Her nipples were hard, so he used his free hand to touch them and she began to lift her chest up off the bed.

"Zuko," she breathed. "I want-"

"You're so beautiful like this," he said. He was awed and aroused, and he was trying to keep it together when all he wanted was to see her come undone. "Stop fighting," he heard himself murmur. "It's okay, Katara. Just let go."

She closed her eyes again and he felt her body spasm, her head slamming back into the pillows and her hips beating up into his hand. He could feel the muscles from the inside fluttering while she made incoherent noises that sometimes sounded like his name and made him inexplicably satisfied.

Katara, however, was not satisfied. She pulled him down toward her, kissing him like she was still thirsty and lining his body up with hers. He held her to him while they both made desperate noises and did desperate things. She felt hotter than fire. The feeling of her skin against his was killing him. He drove into her thigh and wanted more. She shifted, making room for him to just slip between her legs...

And he'd thought a waterbender was always cool.

He made contact with her moist curls and they both moaned. Her tongue curled through his mouth. He tried to keep his composure, but it was a losing battle. He couldn't do it. Not positioned like this. Not with her clutching him to her like that. He stilled his hips over hers.

She smiled against his lips. Did she mean to be kissing like she was challenging him? He was shaking with the effort to control himself. "Zuko, I thought you told me to stop fighting," she whispered. He groaned. She kissed. He heard himself beg "please". She parted her legs, and he thought he might lose it at that one simple motion. He broke the kissing so he could see her eyes. They were dark and full of desire, and she whimpered and thrust slightly toward him, and the idea that she shared the singular goal burning in his body made him so incredibly, incredibly hard.

**Katara**

The orgasm she had experienced from Zuko's touch alone made her cry out, so the idea of there being something else to experience made her body feel like it was screaming. When she heard him say "please", raspy and low, her insides tremored with anticipation. She responded to him with her body. The eyes that burned down at her were lit with need. The way he fought to control his breathing turned her on even more.

He put his hand on the inside of her thigh and encouraged her with his touch to widen her legs even more, until he could settle one of his knees between her thighs. Swirling pleasure curled through her body. She looked up at him and he reached down and swept the hair away from her face. "This is still what you want, right?" he asked, his voice soft compared to the hardness of his body and the force of the intoxicating desire that permeated the entire room.

"Yes," she said. "It is. It's still what you want too, isn't it?"

"Yes," he said. "Yes! But what if…"

"Zuko," she said, "just start slow and I'll tell you when to make it faster."

He nodded and leaned down to kiss her again before gently helping her adjust until her knees and thighs straddled his hips. She could feel him resting against her intimately, and she reached down to touch. He was warm and firm. She circled her fingers around him, spreading a slippery drip. He took several hard breaths above her as she guided him toward the folds of her body, which she separated herself, her own slippery wetness escaping.

He was shaking as he lowered his body and she felt him enter slowly. He made a hushed noise of pleasure as her body gave in to his, and he stopped to kiss her. She had the feeling from the way he was still shaking that he was trying to calm his own nerves as much as hers. "So far?" he asked.

She breathed in and out, adjusting to a warm pressure that made her feel twitchy, like she should clench around him and bring him in. She lifted her hands so she could touch his face, softly running her fingers from his temples down to his jawline until she felt his shaking stop and heard his breathing become more even again too. "It's fine," she said. "You can go deeper."

"Okay," he said, shifting to pull back slightly, then pushing inside again. Her body stretched around his and she felt a foreign sense of fullness. He sucked in air nervously, biting his lip and stopping again. She nearly giggled at his anxiety and her own building frustration. Something deep inside her was begging to feel him. She stroked his chest, and he let out a small sigh of pleasure. It was all the motivation her body needed for her hips to drive up, sheathing him completely. They gasped together at the satisfying sensation, and then a wave of pain radiated through her.

"I think that was too fast," he acknowledged, remaining still inside her. "Does it hurt?" She pinched her lips together, squeezing her knees to his sides and trying to repress the pain that had surprised her. He lowered his body down until they were lying chest-to-chest and she could feel the protective comfort she needed from him engulfing her.

"Will it keep hurting?" she asked tensely, trying not to let the urge to cry get the best of her. She hadn't planned to feel this way. Hadn't expected it. He looked worried. He lifted his shoulders so she could breathe.

"I don't know," he said, reaching down to caress her face with the back of his hand. "Do you want to stop?"

She shook her head, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him back down onto her. She didn't need to breathe as much as she needed to feel safe. "No. Not yet."

He kissed her forehead carefully. "Maybe try to relax a little?" he suggested. "It feels like you're tense. I'm not sure, but I think if you can let go, it won't hurt so much." He kissed her again softly and it felt like he was saying "I love you" and "it's okay" and "we'll do this however we can to make it feel good for you" all at once. She nodded and let him lift up again so that she could take a deep breath. She let the air out slowly, consciously relaxing every muscle she could find. The pain began to recede.

"Better?" he asked.

"You could feel that?" she responded.

He gave her a small smile. "Just a little."

"Does it feel good?" she asked, suddenly curious.

He laughed. "It feels really good, Katara," he said.

She laughed too, and that helped even more. "It feels better for me now, too," she said. "Try moving again."

He tried again, and then again. Pleasure began building again and the intensity she had felt before was returning, pooling deep below her navel. He pulled back again - still so slowly - and she immediately missed the feel of him reaching into her. She naturally tilted up with her hips, sliding together with him until he was all the way inside once more. He groaned, and the sound excited her.

"Katara," he said, "If you want me to go slow, you can't-"

"That felt good. Don't go so slow," she said, following her statement with a deep kiss that made him groan again.

He pulled away, then pushed in faster, and when he moved to repeat the action she recognized the start of a rhythm, which she was setting with him, because she was lifting her body up to his when he moved into her and setting herself down again when he moved out. The fading pain was overshadowed by the desire she had for him, and the desire was furthered every time he sank into her. He started kissing her again. She kissed back fervently. He wrapped one of his arms around her back so they were completely tangled in an embrace while they worked on perfecting that rhythm together.

"Zuko?" she said quietly, between kisses and other movements. "I love you."

"I love you too, Katara," he said back, and she hoped she would always remember how this felt.

* * *

><p><strong>Totally Smexy Side Note:<strong>

Traditional wisdom tells us that a woman has a magical barrier (the hymen) that covers the inside of her vagina until it is "broken" during her first time having sex. But as Zuko would probably put it, that's actually an amazing lie. If you want to learn more accurate information about female anatomy, and about the hymen generally, I highly recommend checking out Scarleteen's website. Just google Scarleteen. Very good information. (No, I'm not associated with the website in any way. I'm just a gal who likes high-quality smut.)


	5. Chapter 5 - Feels Like Falling in Love

**Author's Notes:**

Ahh…well…I didn't think it would be fair to post part IV without part V. So here's the final installment. I hope you enjoyed the whole series. It felt like writing a consummation scene, probably because Zuko and Katara are just so adorably in love.

**Disclaimer: ATLA is of course not mine. I'm just borrowing.**

**Zuko**

Being connected to Katara like this felt as emotional as physical. There was a great deal of enjoyment, which he felt in his tingling skin and aching muscles, but it was the extent to which they acted with trust and compassion for one another that made it an act of love much more than an act of sex.

Still, he had in no way anticipated how much he would want, even need, to solder the connection between them. He held her as closely as he could, his lips delivering passionate kisses to match the heat and intensity in his body while he marveled at the incredible intimacy, the feeling of her arms tightened around his back, the way her lips fought for his and the exquisite pleasure of her body coming up to meet his.

She made noise that spurned him on. Breaths, gasps, pleased whimpers, little moans, enthusiastic ahhs and mmms that matched the catches in his own breath and the moans and groans that emanated from his own throat. He began sweet talking her between kisses. "You're so beautiful." "Please, sweetheart." "Yes, Kitten." This while she gradually sped up the pace and talked to him her own way. "Spirits, Zuko, yes, that, yes." "Faster." "More, more." "Slower now." "More, please." "Oh, please, Zuko, please don't stop."

His body felt as though it were weeping for release, and she seemed to be riding waves of pleasure with him. The faster they got the more intense the need to finish this became until they were both breathing heavy, a layer of sweat covered their bodies, and he was going as hard as he dared given that this was their first time together. It was all he could do to try to wait for her to meet him, though he wasn't sure he could wait and he wasn't sure she would be able to find the same completion he would.

But then somehow she was clenching all around him, clutching his back, digging her nails into his skin, arching her body up into his, her muscles contracting around him, and she was chanting to him: "Zuko, Zuko please, please, yes, please Zuko, please, now, please, _now now_!"

And he lost himself to her in that moment, his body exploding into hers while he cried out too: "Katara, Agni, Katara, Katara." He poured out into her in long, heavy thrusts, while she shuddered around him. It felt like it stretched on for a long time before they both stilled and collapsed down. Then they lay trembling, mingled breath and bodies melting together while a sense of wholeness settled around them.

When his breath had finally slowed, he rolled off her, pulling her with him onto their sides. He could feel liquid dripping down their thighs, but letting her go now, even to clean up, was unthinkable for the moment. His body, numbed and sensitive from the extended pleasure, still ached to feel her.

Thankfully, she seemed to feel the same. They were sexually sated but unable to get enough of touching each other. They continued to close the gaps, cuddling close, kissing each other gently at long, lazy intervals, listening to their heartbeats pulse together.

"That was incredible," she said, nestling into his chest. "Maybe there _is_ something to be said for chemistry between opposite elements. I feel great."

He grinned, holding her tight. "I agree," he said. "Definitely worth the wait."

"But not something we should wait to do again for long," she said, smiling mischievously at him. She apparently wasn't feeling as drained as he was. She was bending away the pools of moisture while they talked. In his post-sex haze, he was quite impressed.

"_That_ is a serious convenience of having sex with a waterbender," he joked, and she grinned too.

"What do you think the second time will be like?" she asked, flipping around so she could lie with her back curved into his chest. She was already thinking about the second time. That made him feel good.

"Faster," he said, tucking his arm under her head and brushing her hair down with his free hand. "Easier. Probably even more desperate since now we know how good it is."

"We should try different positions. I wonder what it would be like if we brought bending into the equation?" she pondered while he yawned and pulled sheets and blankets up around them. She snuggled down under the bedding with him and he smiled thinking how glad he was that she hadn't mentioned sleeping in her own room. He really didn't think he could have handled that.

"What kind of bending?" he asked, running his hand from her waist to her thigh. She had a beautiful body, and he loved it - and her - even more now than he had a few hours ago. And he had thought he loved her a lot _then_. "Like, are we talking about sex in water? Because I could see some potential there."

"Huh," she said. "Here I was thinking what would really be hot is if you lost control enough to set the sheets on fire."

Zuko laughed. "You want to play with fire in bed?"

She smiled. "No. I want YOU to play with fire while I'm IN your bed, telling you how much I want you."

"I'm going to marry you, Water Tribe peasant," Zuko said. "Can we go to sleep now?"

Katara just laughed.

**Katara**

He was asleep long before she was, his warm breath floating over the back of her neck and his arm hooked protectively over her. She was glad he hadn't suggested she go back to her own room. She'd rather lie awake in his sleeping arms than sit up in her room by herself aching for him. This gave her time to think and process everything without losing the security and comfort of being present with him.

There were still shadows dancing on the walls from the candlelight that was burning down. She noticed the Fire Nation emblem he normally wore sitting on one of the nightstands by the bed. The emblem that marked him as the Fire Lord.

Right.

Because Zuko - the socially-awkward, smart-mouthed, tender-hearted man snuggling her like a stuffed children's toy - _her_ Zuko - just also happened to be the Fire Lord.

"I love you," he murmured into her ear.

"Go back to sleep, Zuko," she whispered.

"Don't you love me too?"

She smiled. Add "emotionally-needy" to that list. "Yes," she said. "I love you too."

"Why aren't you sleeping?"

She contemplated that silently.

"I guess everything is just sinking in."

He stretched and rolled over onto his back. "It's nice to have you sleeping in bed with me," he said. She glanced again at the Fire Nation emblem and he sighed. "I knew I should have put that thing away."

She chuckled and turned over, resting her head in the crook of his arm and curling her arm around his chest. "It's part of you," she said.

"But…"

"We have a lot to talk about."

"Katara," Zuko said, a sleepy, bemused smirk on his face. "We just had sex for the first time. Can't we just snuggle up and fall asleep together and worry about the logistics of what happens from here in the morning?"

"Do you sleep in the same bed your father slept in at the palace?"

"Uh, I don't know." He nuzzled her hair. "Who cares? Come on, sleep now, waterbender."

"What kind of flowers are there in the gardens? Are all the flowers red?"

"You can talk to the palace gardener and put anything you want in there." He yawned heavily. "Please sweetheart."

"How many kids do you want? One? Two?"

"Four."

"Four!"

"Four. Maybe five. Six wouldn't hurt. You know. To secure the bloodline."

She shut her mouth.

"Let's talk about it tomorrow morning, shall we?" he asked. "After breakfast?"

She snorted. "You were just trying to shut me up!"

"Maybe," he agreed. "Is it so wrong that all I want right now is to sleep with you?"

She sighed. "No," she said.

"Good," he said. He waved his hand into the air and the fire from the remaining candles that had been lit disappeared. "Then try to sleep with me, okay?"

"Okay," she said.

She hadn't thought she would be able to. There was really just so much to think about. But she did fall asleep, and when she woke up she was curled in the silk sheets of his bed and he was curled next to her, smiling in his sleep. The sun was threatening to break in, and she could only think it would be nice if it could hold off a little while longer.

Also, she wondered how late they could be to breakfast and if Zuko would be mad if she woke him up. Probably not once he realized what she was doing. She put her hand on his shoulder and stroked lightly down his back. He hummed quietly. Nope. Definitely not mad. She smiled to herself. This was a good door to have flung opened. A very good door.


End file.
